1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling system suitable for an apparatus with a module which needs cooling such as a copier or a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus includes a module which needs cooling, the apparatus being provided with a cooling fan for controlling temperature rise of a module, such as a fuser; a photoreceptor; a toner housing unit; and a developing unit. The image forming apparatus is also provided with a temperature sensor therein, and a controller of the image forming apparatus, on the basis of a measurement result of the temperature sensor, controls the start/stop function and the rotational speed of the cooling fan, namely the quantity of cold air required for cooling a module. Such a technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. H02-81076, No. H02-311863, No. H03-63674, and No. H11-272147.
To cool each module effectively it is necessary to provide each module with a separate temperature sensor as the temperature of each module may vary significantly. Further, each temperature sensor needs to be connected to a controller with a lead wire. In the above related arts, a temperature sensor and a controller are connected with a lead wire. However, since a contact failure can occur in a connector connecting each lead wire, and since a lead wire near a high-temperature module tends to deteriorate with time and consequently electrical resistance thereof increases, the measurement accuracy of a temperature sensor can be reduced.
Further, if a module is a replaceable one, each time the module is replaced, a temperature sensor of the module side and a lead wire of an apparatus side need to be connected with a connecter, and which operation can be cumbersome.
The present invention has been made with a view to addressing the problem discussed above, and provides a technique which enables a cooling system to take accurate temperature measurements over a long duration of time and which system does not require connector joints; and an image forming apparatus with the cooling system.